The Finance Committee will meet on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 6:15 P.M. to discuss the Lyndhurst Municipal Court Renovation Project.

Patrick A. Ward, Chairman

April 19, 2010: Finance CommitteeMINUTES:

The Finance Committee met Monday April 19 2010 at 6:15 p.m. Present were Council members Frey, Fisher, Gambatese, LoPresti, Marko, Schlessel and Ward. Also present were, Mayor Cicero, Law Director Murphy, Building Commissioner Kunz, Lyndhurst Municipal Court Judge Mary Kaye Bozza, Clerk of Courts Tina Furcsik and Marc Olsen of Bialosky + Partners Architects. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Municipal Court "Annex" renovation project and the changes to the contract which are on Council's agenda this evening.

The change orders have been presented as originating from four categories; unforeseen conditions, owner requested upgrades, owner requested changes and construction time extension.

During the course of the demolition and construction the contractor encountered some conditions that were not apparent or were not shown on existing drawings of the building. There was some rusted electrical conduit which needed to be replaced, some asbestos abatement and some electrical relocation. These changes total $6089.00.

During the course of the construction, the Court has taken advantage of the favorable original contract price as well as space utilization opportunities and other upgrade opportunities to maximize the flexibility, quality and ease of maintenance of the space being created. Judge Bozza pointed out that there are many things that one sees on paper that look very different once walls are built and spaces become defined in 3 dimension and this is a one-time opportunity to assure every space is taken full advantage of. Some of the requested upgrades were; changing the flooring in the Jury room/kitchen space from carpet to porcelain tile which is more durable and easily cleaned, replacing asbestos tile with VCT tile, making storage spaces wherever possible as well as added fabrication cost to fully use material which was already purchased. These changes totaled $44,111.00.

The changes requested by the Court were detailed as safety related upgrades in the form of added cameras, lock controls and buzzers some of which became necessary with the creation of the back corridor. These safety upgrades total $46,062.00.

The last change order is to cover additional compensation to the contractor for the sixty day extension of the contract. Since the added time extends from owner generated changes and not contractor related issues, the contractor is entitled to additional compensation for the added time on the job. This change amounts to $12,800.00.

Committee members asked questions with regard to the changes which were adequately answered. Chairman Ward indicated that, since the Court has been working most closely with the Building Commissioner and the Architect with the contractor it was necessary and helpful for Council to review the details and reasons for the requested changes. He thanked everyone for the information and the collective effort to assure a quality and usable result.

It was moved by Mr. Frey, seconded by Mr. Schlessel, that the Committee recommend Council approval of the four change-orders as presented. A voice vote was taken with all members voting "Aye".

With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

The Finance Committee will meet on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 6:30 P.M. to discuss the 2010 appropriations and capital budget.

Patrick A. Ward, Chairman

February 22, 2010: Finance CommitteeMINUTES:

The Finance Committee met Monday, February 22, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Present were members of Council, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Frey, Mr. Gambatese, Mr. LoPresti, Mr. Marko, Mr. Schlessel and Mr. Ward. Also present was Finance Director Mary Kovalchik and Mayor Cicero. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss budget appropriations for 2010. A copy of the Draft Appropriation Budget had been distributed to all members of Council in advance of the meeting for their careful evaluation in preparation for this session and many questions had been posed prior to the meeting.

Chairman Ward opened the meeting by asking the Committee members to refer to page 21 of the Budget, "Totals by Department" and then reading the following statement:

"A review of these totals shows very clearly that the changes and initiatives put forward by the Administration and this Council are producing results and keeping us alive. Were it not for these changes, oversight, diligence and cooperation by everyone we would not be contemplating a budget that is as flat as a pancake. We would be staring down a hole so deep the thought makes me shudder.

The Budget we have before us, this evening, at $14,730,510 is 5.6% lower than last year's requested and is only 3.4% more than last year's actual expense. I do want to start off by thanking everyone; our employees, Department Heads, Mayor Cicero and my colleagues for the dedicated focus on the bottom line.

Now that we have the "pats on the back" out of the way, I do have to say that our most difficult times probably lie ahead. We have made great progress but things far outside our control have and may continue to challenge us. Income, this year, will be $500,000 less because of the County's reduction of property values alone. Whether we agree with the "across-the-board" reduction approach applied by the County or not; it is what it is and, though we struggle, at least our residents are getting a little much needed relief."

The Committee then began a review, by Department, of the line-item General Fund Budget. Committee members were prepared with questions on specific lines of expense and detailed answers were provided. It was pointed out that Nuisance Abatement expense had been moved from the Lands & Buildings section of the budget to the Building Department where that program is administered. No money has yet been considered to provide for a Tree Program or Sidewalk Program this year, programs that cannot stand to be neglected much longer. Mr. Ward and Mrs. Kovalchik will continue to discuss alternative ways of administering a Sidewalk Program to reduce the City's cost in the future. The City's obligation and commitment to SELREC was discussed with Mayor Cicero highlighting the draft Memorandum of Understanding between the SELCREC COG and the YMCA which, if adopted, would require 18 months of continued support of SELREC by the cities of South Euclid and Lyndhurst and the SEL Board of Education after which the YMCA would assume SELREC's operations and obligations. Any operating losses would be absorbed by the YMCA during the conversion period and thereafter. The Committee considered the following amounts by Department or function:

The Committee went on to review Capital requests, by Department, that have been recommended for funding by the various Committees of Council. Every Department stepped up, once again, to reduce the list of items needed to what is absolutely necessary to provide for smooth operations. The following total amounts have been approved:

Discussion then turned to the proposal of re-inventing the Brainard Pool facility into a Splash Park as had been presented by Mayor Cicero and Service Director Glady to Mr. Frey's Public Lands & Buildings Committee. The construction costs have been estimated at $652,000 and yearly operating costs at $45,000. Mrs. Kovalchik reported that she had tested the City's ability to repay a note for construction costs up to $700,000 and at 80% of our current property values indicating that it is well within the City's ability to repay. Mrs. Kovalchik also indicated the City may be able to, at some time, call the note on the Lyndhurst Aquatic Center, pay it off early and save around $200,000 in future interest expense. She will continue to pursue those details. The question was raised as to the City's ability to sustain the estimated operating cost of such a facility and it was pointed out that there is only a $23,000 difference between the cost to operate that facility and the expense we are currently funding to keep the Brainard Pool closed which is not a great deal of difference at all to have a Park and Facility that is vibrant and utilized enhancing the area and community. A motion was made by Mr. Schlessel; seconded by Mr. Marko to continue planning for the Spray Park and to provide funds for its construction at $652,000. That motion passed unanimously.

With the addition of the Brainard Splash Park we have a proposed;

GRAND TOTAL CAPITAL $4,154,885

A motion was made by Mr. Marko, seconded by Mr. Schlessel to approve the Capital requests recommended by the various committees of Council and amended this evening. The question passed unanimously.

The Grand Total of all Funds is $24,305,561

With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 8:14 PM.